Paper handling mechanism for accounting machines



April 1, 1941. w ANDERSON 2,236,588

PAPER HANDLING MECHANISK FOR ACCOUNTING MACHINES Filed Dec. 12, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR WALTER A.ANDER$ON ATTORNEY April 1, 1941. w. A. ANDERSON PAPER HANDLING MECHANISM FOR ACCOUNTING MACHINES Filed Dc. 12, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR WALTER A.AN DEIQSON K AT To RNEY Patented Apr. 1, 1941 PAPER HANDLING MECHANISM FOR ACCOUNTING MACHINES Walter A. Anderson, Bridgeport, Conn, assignor to Underwood Elliott Fisher Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application December 12, 1938, Serial No. 245,070

1 Claim.

This invention relates to paper carriages for accounting machines, and more particularly to paper holding and guiding apparatus for facilitating the insertion and removal of front fed sheets.

In modemaccounting practice it is frequently necessary to enter only a'single line of posting on each' sheet, making it desirable to remove and insert the sheets in rapid succession.

The object of the present invention, therefore, is to alter the construction of the customary front feed mechanism used for operations requiring several lines of posting, so that when it is used for operations requiring only a single line of posting, the operations of inserting and removing the forms will be facilitated.

With this and incidental objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts, the essential elements of which are set forth in apcloses a mechanism for facilitating single line postings. That mechanism however, uses, instead (of the regular front feedchute, an auxiliary chute arranged for attachment on the front feed mechanism in front of .the regular chute, it being stated in that patent that the front feed mechanism had to be closed whenever a printing operation was to take place in order to permit the type bars to rise.

The present invention contemplates dispensing with the use of the auxiliary chute, it having been discoveredthat by moving certain adjustable feed rolls carried. on the front feed mechanism, laterally therealong in accordance with the columnar positions to be used, the front feed mechanism could be left in open position -without interference to the upward movement position and a paper guide controlled thereby in open position,

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing the front feed chute in its rear or adjusted position and the guide in its closed position,

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing the front feed chute in forward position but the paper guide moved to closed position by operation of a manipulative lever, and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view showing in detail various connections of the parts with the'paper guide.

General description The invention is illustrated in connection with the type of carriage used on the machine disclosed in the application of Oscar J. Sundstrand, Serial No. 581,800, filed December 18, 1931, now Patent No. 2,194,270, issued March 19, 1940. It is adapted to be used on the type of carnage disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 2,060,954, issued to Oscar J. Sundstrand on November 17,1936, or U. S. Patent No. 2,185,424, issued to Walter A. Anderson on January 2, 1940, or on that disclosed in the U. S. application of Walter A. Anderson, Serial No. 92,164, filed July 23, 1936.

The above mentioned Patent No. 2,185,424 dislower guides l3 and I4, respectively, are provided.

of the type bars. Hence, the regular front feed could be used for inserting sheets upon which only a single line of posting was to be printed, if suitable provision was made for holding the sheets after being inserted.

Detailed description a plate [2, and upwardly out of the carriage.

For introducing front fed sheets, upper and The lower guides are formed as chutes and will hereinafter be referred toas such, their purpose being to guide the paper as it is inserted downwardly therein. Upper guide I3 is provided with an edge guide H which assists in directing the paper laterally. The upper guides are pivoted on rods such as l6, that extend through the chutes l4 and are secured to armssuch as H. Arms H are in turn secured to arms such as l8, pivoted on semi-cylindrical studs 20 (see also Figures 2 and 4). Arms I8 are held in engagement with studs 20 by studs 2| secured in the carriage side walls. In operation, after the front fed paper is fully inserted, chutes M are swung to the right (Figures 1 to 3) about pivot studs 20, this movement also swinging guides l5 to the right, the

upper ends of these guides being pivotally connected on a rod 22 extending between forwardly extending arms such as 23, fixed on the carriage side walls.

After the paper passes downwardly through the chute, it is directed under the platen first by the upper portion of a plate 24 secured to the frame of the accounting machine. Plate 24 deflects the paper toward a guide which takes the form of a lip 25 secured on a square rod 25 pivoted in the carriage side plates 4. The paper is then deflected upwardly between the rear feed rolls 8 and a guide plate 21 suitably secured between the carriage side plates.

After the paper is fully inserted, it is necessary to bring it in contact with the platen at the print.- ing point, and also to hold it firmly against the platen at some point for the purpose of line spacing. To bring the paper against the platen at the printing point, the lip 25 is mounted for pivotal movement whereby it can be moved to a position quite close to the platen, as shown in Figure 2. This serves to bend the paper around the platen from a position below the printing point. Pressure rolls 2B are provided to bend the paper around the platen from a position above the printing point, and thereby hold the paper firmly against the platen for line spacing. The operative position of these rolls-is shown in Figure 2. Rolls 28 are journaled in supporting brackets 29 supported on a square rod 30 secured between arms I8 by screws 3| (Figure 4) the position shown in Figure 1, which may be called the open position of the front feed mechanism, to the position shown in-Figure 2, which may be called the closed position, rolls 28 and chutes [4 move to the rear, along with arms l8, the entire assembly pivoting about studs 20. The closing movement of the above parts moves the guide lip 25 from its open position shown in Figure 1 to its closed position shown in Figure 2 by the following parts.

A pair of arms 32v (Figure 4) are secured at the opposite ends of a plate 33 pivoted at 34 in the carriage side plates, The upper ends of arms 32 are forked, and embrace pins 35 fixed in arms 18. The front feed guide lip 25 is provided with ears 36 at its opposite ends, the ears lying directly behind arms 32 and tensioned thereagainst by a spring 31 secured between a downwardly extending arm 38 of lip 25 and the machine frame. Hence, when the front feed mechanism is opened or closed, lip 25 is correspondingly opened and closed, as illustrated in the Figures 1 and 2, respectively. The front feed mechanism is held in either its opened or closed position by a detent 38* (Figures 3 and 4) pivoted on arm l8 at 39. Detent 38 is provided with a spring 40 to hold either of two notches in the detent in engagement with a stud 4| secured in the left hand carriage side plate 4.

When a series of front fed forms are to have several lines of posting on each, the form is inserted downwardly in chute l4 and'the front feed mechanism is swung from its open position shown in Figure 1 to its closed position shown in Figure 2. This causes the form to be held against the platen for printing and line advancing operations by pressure rolls 28 and guide lip 25, as above described. Upon completion of the printing, the

In moving the parts from front feed mechanism is opened, and the form is removed.

When a series of posting operations requires only a single line of posting to be printed on each form, it is unnecessary to have pressure rolls 2! bear against the form for line spacing. Also, it is desirable in such instances to leave chute l4 in open position to facilitate the rapid insertion and removal of the forms. Hence, it is necessary that independently operable means be provided to move guide lip 25 to its closed position to hold the sheets against the platen during the printing on these forms.

For this purpose, a lever 42 (Figure 4) is provided. This lever is situated on a shaft 44, outside the left hand carriage side wall 4, so that it can be manipulated by the operator. An arm 43, secured on shaft 44 inside the carriage side wall, has a pin 45 thereon arranged to engage a lug 45 on shaft 26, Movement of lever 42 from the position shown in Figure 2 to that shown in Figure 3 moves guide lip 25 upwardly toward the platen. A detent 41 is pivoted on the carriage side plate at 48 and is held in contact with a stud 49 fixed in arm 43 by a spring 50. Detent 41 is provided with two notches to retain lever 42 in either of its two positions.

The sheets on which single line postings are to be printed are inserted downwardly through chute I4, deflected rearwardly by plate 24, and passed between guide lip 25 and the platen, the guide lip having been opened by lever 42 prior to the insertion of the sheet. Lever 42 is then manipulated to close the guide lip, which provides a sufiicient tension on the sheet to hold it in printing position for the single line posting. By the provision of this mechanism, the operator may print single line postings on a number of sheets without having to manipulate the carriage, between the successive printing operations, except by opening and closing the guide lip by lever 42. In practice, this has been found to effect a considerable saving in time, and to generally facilitate operations requiring single line posting on a number of forms.

While the form of mechanism herein shown and described is admirably adapted to fulfill the object primarily stated, it is to be understood that it is not intended to confine the invention to the one form of embodiment herein disclosed, for it is susceptible of embodiment in various formsyall coming within the scope of the claim which follows.

What is claimed is:

In a paper carriage, a platen mounted on a fixed pivot, a front feed mechanism having a movable chute and. guide means acting together for aiding insertion of front fed paper, and being movable from a paper inserting to a closed position, means for holding said mechanism in either of said positions, a downwardly extending finger on said guide means, a pivoted member situated below the guide means and having an upwardly directed projection, a manipulative member connected to the pivoted member, whereby the latter may be oscillated, means on said projection to move the guide means to closed position when the manipulative member is moved, and a spring held means to retain the pivoted member in either P sition.

WALTER A. ANDERSON. 

